{"id":565347,"date":"2026-04-05T04:00:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T04:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/565347\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T04:00:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T04:00:11","slug":"the-little-racehorse-that-could-maria-jose-marin-wins-in-late-runaway-at-augusta-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/565347\/","title":{"rendered":"The little racehorse that could, Maria Jose Marin wins in late runaway at Augusta National"},"content":{"rendered":"

AUGUSTA, Ga. \u2013 Maria Jose Marin\u2019s 10-year-old brother, Emilio, walked every step of Saturday\u2019s final round at Augusta National wearing a Masters backpack that was almost bigger than he was.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trophy will fit in here,\u201d he said early on the second nine.<\/p>\n

Surely, Emilio believed, his sister would do her part.<\/p>\n

As Marin, the diminutive and bubbly 19-year-old from Cali, Colombia, approached the 18th green, the Augusta National Women\u2019s Amateur all but in hand, a green-jacketed Annika Sorenstam plucked Emilio from outside the ropes, and with her arm around the boy, she ushered him to the front row. Soon, Emilio was surrounded by Maria\u2019s band of supporters \u2013 her parents, Jose and Lorena; her instructors, Jorge and Hernan; her Arkansas coaches and a few teammates; and the rest of the nearly two dozen friends from Colombia, all of whom shared a house and nightly marathon dinners with the Marins this week. There were a few surprises, too \u2013 countryman Nico Echavarria, a three-time PGA Tour winner who followed the final nine holes; friend and last year\u2019s ANWA champion, Carla Bernat Escuder; and Maria Fassi, Marin\u2019s mentor, a Razorback alum and the inaugural ANWA runner-up seven years ago.<\/p>\n

Fassi, also a frequent practice partner with Marin back at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas, flew in Friday night on a whim. Fassi has always been amazed at Marin\u2019s ability to stick to her gameplan and block out everything going on around her, even on the biggest stages.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s like a racehorse with blinders on,\u201d Fassi said.<\/p>\n

On Saturday morning, Marin exited the starting gates in the penultimate pairing, one shot back of 17-year-old phenom Asterisk Talley. By the time she reached the 14th tee, Marin wasn\u2019t just five clear of the stumbling Talley but four ahead of her next closest pursuer. The seventh edition of the ANWA became a shocking runaway<\/a>, and Marin\u2019s 4-under 68 pushed her over the finish line at 14 under, four better than runner-up Andrea Revuelta.<\/p>\n

\u201cExtremely proud of myself and all of the hard work and the ability that I had out there to overcome all the pressure,\u201d Marin said, \u201cbecause winning at this place, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s ever going to be a feeling to describe it.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a reason some players have said they\u2019d rather triumph at Augusta National than on the LPGA. Oregon head coach Derek Radley caddied for his wife on tour and argued that ANWA was \u201cthe biggest event, pro or amateur, ever.\u201d So big that Radley\u2019s superstar and world No. 1 Kiara Romero, who tied for fourth Saturday, admitted she \u201cblacked out\u201d on the first tee last year while teeing off in the final pairing.<\/p>\n

Talley arrived at the tournament practice area more than two hours before her scheduled 11 a.m. starting time. The Stanford commit had captured each of her past three junior tournaments and was coming off a T-29 last Sunday at the LPGA\u2019s Ford Championship, already her seventh professional start. Meja \u00d6rtengren, the Stanford sophomore who\u2019d already won last summer on the Ladies European Tour, rounded out the final pairing. Everybody else was probably too far behind. Barring something crazy, this was effectively a three-horse race.<\/p>\n

Until things got crazy, of course.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened to Asterisk, I do not wish it to any golfer,\u201d Marin said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"2026<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Asterisk Talley was in tears after failing to win the Augusta National Women\u2019s Amateur. That\u2019s when Bryson DeChambeau offered an encouraging talk.<\/p>\n

Talley birdied three of her first holes, appearing destined for a dominant victory. But she stalled from there, only leading Marin by one when she turned at 14 under. Talley bombed a drive on the par-4 10th hole, causing her dad, Jim, a correctional officer, to utter, \u201cOh my.\u201d Up ahead, however, Marin ignited the Latin patrons with a clutch par save. Vamos!<\/p>\n

Two holes later, they gasped as Marin\u2019s tee shot hung on the bank short of the par-3 12th green. She got up and down there as well, while Talley and \u00d6rtengren were each bogeying No. 11 within earshot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never seen a ball stay there, and I think it was just God holding the ball there, like, don\u2019t move, this is happening for something,\u201d Marin said.<\/p>\n

Talley wasn\u2019t so lucky. She grabbed 8-iron for the 155-yard shot, with no interest in flirting with Rae\u2019s Creek. But the wind laid down, and Talley\u2019s ball found the back bunker. She sent her first shot from the sand into the creek anyway, then decided to have her club caddie rake the trap so she could try again, only to replicate the first shot. Finally, she headed back across the Hogan Bridge and got up and down for a quadruple-bogey 7.<\/p>\n

Talley later doubled the par-3 16th after rinsing her tee ball and sputtered to a closing 75 and T-4 finish at 8 under. She failed to hold back tears on the interview podium and again while receiving words of encouragement from fellow Northern California native Bryson DeChambeau, whom she\u2019s known for over a decade as they used to share an instructor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just a little emotional, not only because I didn\u2019t get it done today, but also just everyone is so supportive,\u201d Talley said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard when they have to watch that and see you not do well or not accomplish what you wanted. I still played fine today even though that one hole just kind of got me.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Augusta<\/p>\n

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 04: Asterisk Talley of The United States walks over the Hogan Bridge on the 12th hole during the final round of the Augusta National Women\u2019s Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club on April 04, 2026 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by David Cannon\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

When Marin, standing in the 13th fairway some 190 yards away from the flag, didn\u2019t hear clapping behind her, she alas broke from her gameplan. She loves laying up on par-5s, confident in her wedging ability to still make birdies \u2013 she played the first 15 par-5s this week in a combined 8 under, reaching most of them in three shots. But she was feeling the momentum, and she asked her caddie, local firefighter Darren Woo, for her 4-hybrid and exclaimed: It\u2019s now or never, I\u2019m going for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was perfect,\u201d said Marin, whose audible paid off beautifully as she two-putted for birdie, which put her four up on Revuelta and \u00d6rtengren, who closed in 74 to also end at 8 under.<\/p>\n

Woo, a 56-year-old father of five boys, wasn\u2019t supposed to be on Marin\u2019s bag. That role initially belonged to her father, Jose, a builder who also works in real estate. Even when business wasn\u2019t great, Jose never worried about finding the money to fund his daughter\u2019s budding golf career. In fact, when Maria, also a skilled ballerina and swimmer, would travel to junior tournaments around the world, Jose brought the whole family.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery tournament, I treated it like a reunion,\u201d Jose said. \u201cI never thought about how much it would cost. I wanted it to be a party when she played, like you saw today. As a father, you are willing to do everything for your kids, and Maria, she\u2019s my little girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

This week it meant giving up the bag. At last year\u2019s ANWA, Marin missed the cut, and Jose couldn\u2019t help but realize that he wasn\u2019t cut out to loop on this big a stage. Marin met Woo two weeks ago during a scouting trip to Champions Retreat, which hosts the first 36 holes. Instantly, Woo and his thick southern accent had a calming effect on Marin.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis voice, I could meditate to it,\u201d Arkansas head coach Shauna Estes-Taylor said.<\/p>\n

Before Marin could initiate the caddie change, Jose pulled her aside and said, \u201cI love you with all my heart, but you need someone that knows how to handle a tournament of this level.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was one of the most beautiful decisions that he could have ever made because he was totally selfless,\u201d Marin said. \u201cHe was like, \u2018I know that you need someone else, but I\u2019m going to be there supporting you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Augusta<\/p>\n

Maria Jose Marin of Colombia reacts on the No. 13 hole during the final round of the Augusta National Women\u2019s Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club, Saturday, April 04, 2026.. (Photo by Thomas Lovelock\/Augusta National\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Augusta National\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Woo\u2019s constant encouragement bolstered Marin:<\/p>\n

Be confident.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re going to work it out.<\/p>\n

Give yourself a chance.<\/p>\n

Keep your head up.<\/p>\n

Marin hadn\u2019t looked at a leaderboard all day, but that changed after laying up on the par-5 15th.<\/p>\n

\u201cI should not have looked at it,\u201d Marin said, able to laugh now.<\/p>\n

Her adrenaline shot up, and with her usually trusty, 56-degree wedge in hand, she uncharacteristically flew her 80-yard pitch through the green.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was just a little bit of nerves,\u201d Marin said. \u201cI started doing actual math of what I had to do, how I had to finish. \u2026 Darren was the one who told me, \u2018Just breathe. Stay calm. You\u2019re fine.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Marin bogeyed the hole, just her third and last of the week, but bounced right back by sticking her next shot, a 7-iron that floated 160 yards, to a few feet and birdieing the par-3 16th to erase any doubt that may have been lingering.<\/p>\n

Woo, who worked a 14-hour shift for the Savannah River Site Fire Department that ended at 7 a.m. Saturday, also has a granddaughter with two more grandchildren on the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe I\u2019ll be lucky enough and have three granddaughters, and they can all grow up to be like Maria,\u201d Woo said.<\/p>\n

Echavarria remembers Marin showing up at his AJGA event in Colombia three years ago. He knew her resum\u00e9 but was shocked to see how small she was.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut then she strikes the ball, and it all makes sense,\u201d Echavarria said.<\/p>\n

Marin won that tournament and prior to Saturday had also collected 39 other victories recognized by the World Amateur Golf Ranking, including last year\u2019s NCAA Championship and Women\u2019s Amateur Latin America.<\/p>\n

\u201cWinning is what she was born to do,\u201d Estes-Taylor said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Augusta<\/p>\n

Augusta National Women\u2019s Amateur Champion Maria Jose Marin of Colombia walks hand-in-hand with brother Emilio during the final round of the Augusta National Women\u2019s Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club, Saturday, April 04, 2026.. (Photo by \/Augusta National\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Augusta National\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

On the eve of Saturday\u2019s final round, Marin walked with Jose from a player party at Berckmans Place inside Augusta National\u2019s gates to dinner, where family and friends were already waiting. Even if briefly, Marin talked about what would happen if she won that next day. She then got her normal six hours of sleep \u2013 somehow, she had energy to spare by Saturday evening \u2013 and dreamed some more. Marin was just 12 years old when Jennifer Kupcho outdueled Fassi in a spearheading moment that left Marin inspired. Since that day, she\u2019d always imagined what it would be like to be in their shoes.<\/p>\n

On her walk to the 18th tee, Marin finally caught a glimpse of Fassi, who hadn\u2019t planned on surprising her until afterward, and smiled. Woo then handed Marin 3-wood \u2013 that was the gameplan if she was leading by two or more \u2013 and she split one last fairway.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I got to relive a little bit of what my story was here,\u201d Fassi said. \u201cJust with a way happier ending.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Marin\u2019s par putt dropped at the last, she thought to herself, I made it. Moments later, Jose, Lorena and Emilio were embracing her in one, big hug. Echavarria said he had tears in his eyes, and he wasn\u2019t alone. After a few dozen more hugs, Marin grabbed Emilio\u2019s hand and together they walked through the sea of cheering patrons toward Augusta National\u2019s classic clubhouse, the trophy ceremony soon to follow.<\/p>\n

Emilio, his backpack still strapped on, would get his chance to see if he was right.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AUGUSTA, Ga. \u2013 Maria Jose Marin\u2019s 10-year-old brother, Emilio, walked every step of Saturday\u2019s final round at Augusta…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":565348,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[427,99],"class_list":["post-565347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/565347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=565347"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/565347\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/565348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=565347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=565347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=565347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}